Old foes heal their wounds

Nigel Benn laid his demons to rest last night when he was reunited with the man he left fighting for his life 12 years ago

NIGEL BENN came face-to-face with Gerald McClellan last night for the first time since their brutal bout for the WBC super-middleweight title on this day 12 years ago, which left the American battling for his life on the operating table of a London hospital.

The fighters were reunited at the Grosvenor House hotel for a fundraising dinner for McClellan who suffered brain injuries from which doctors gave him only a 5% to 10% chance of survival. He came through the ordeal but his recovery was only partial. McClellan is blind and requires round-the-clock care, which is provided by his sisters, Lisa and Sandra, at their homes in Freep-ort, Illinois in five-day cycles. For them, as much as their brother, last night's event - the brain-child of Benn and his friend and agent, Kevin Lueshing - resonated beyond its objective to raise money for McClellan's medical needs.